The relation between anger coping strategies, anger mood and somatic complaints in children and adolescents

Attempts to explain the experience of somatic complaints among children and adolescents suggest that they may in part result from the influence of particular strategies for coping with anger on the longevity of negative emotions. To explore these relationships British (n = 393) and Dutch (n = 299) children completed a modified version of the Behavioral Anger Response Questionnaire (BARQ), and two additional questionnaires assessing anger mood and somatic complaints. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that for both the UK and Dutch samples two coping styles, Social support-seeking and Rumination, made a significant contribution to somatic complaints, over and above the variance explained by anger mood. A tendency to repeatedly think or talk about an angering event as a way of coping seems to underlie the observed negative health effects. In addition, tentative support is given for a broader range of strategies to cope with anger than just the traditionally studied anger-out and anger-in styles. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Age difference and face-saving in an inter-generational problem based learning group

This study used Grounded Theory methodology to investigate whether learning in a Problem Based Learning (PBL) group was influenced by student demographic diversity. Data comprised observations, in the form of video footage, of one first year PBL group carried out over the period of an academic year, along with student interviews. Using the concepts of ‘Face’ and Face-Threatening Acts to critically explore student interactions, it appeared that inter-generational issues could reflect and create positions of power. At interview, all individuals constructed themselves as similar to or different from others in the group first and foremost by age suggesting this is a primary concern for students. The data also highlighted many occasions, linked to generational difference, where students failed to share knowledge and experiences or to engage critically in deep exploratory learning. This finding is not reported in the PBL literature